UPDATE: BC Ferries cancels 80 sailings amid wind storm

UPDATE: BC Ferries has resumed service on its Swartz Bay – Tsawwassen route.

As of 5:30 p.m., BC Ferries was expecting to run sailings at 6, 7 and 9 p.m. from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen with 7 and 9 p.m. sailings from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay.

#BCFHeadsUp As the situation evolves across the fleet we are working hard to keep all travellers informed. Please monitor our Twitter feed, & website: https://t.co/kdT80Y8SiD as we continue to make updates ASAP. ^et

Around 80 sailings have been cancelled across 12 BC Ferries routes as Thursday morning’s storm along the B.C. coast raged.

BC Ferries made the announcement on their active Twitter page starting at 4:30 a.m., listing service notifications affecting popular routes between Tsawwassen and Duke Point, Swartz Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay, Comox, Powell River and the Southern Gulf Islands.

“We haven’t seen a storm affecting this many sailings for about seven or eight years,” director of public affairs Deborah Marshall told Black Press this afternoon.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is of primary importance to us. We don’t take the decision to cancel sailings lightly, as we know customers rely on us to get to their destinations. We will resume service as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Marshall added that BC Ferries hopes the weather will subside later on Thursday as predicted by Environment Canada. No storms are predicted for tomorrow, Dec. 21, and sailings should continue as scheduled.

“We expect it will be busy as there will be extra demand from customers who were not able to travel today. We do have extra sailings scheduled for tomorrow (and the rest of the holidays through Jan 2),” she said in an email.